A pleasingly old-school wicketkeeper who rarely batted higher than No. 9 for Netherlands, Jeroen Smits was one of his country's longest-serving and most selfless cricketers. In a career that had its primordial roots in age-group cricket in the late 1980s and came to an end more than twenty years later, Smits' captaining of the side to a thrilling last-ball win over England in the opening match of the 2009 World Twenty20 at Lord's is undoubtedly a career high. He had been 12th man in 1989 when Netherlands beat an England XI that included Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart - although that victory had something to do with the night before - but his chirpy presence was a constant in the field on that famous night at Lord's.

For a long time, Smits struggled to break into the side with Reinout Scholte keeping him out, but when Scholte retired he made the wicketkeeper's place all his own, and soon took over as a strong and inspirational captain. He possessed a steady pair of hands and was an excellent motivator in the field, although critics were quick to point out his limitations with the bat. A popular member of the squad, he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve in the dressing room and was constantly initiating banter, although with nicknames such as Piglet, he took as much as he gave. In a typically unselfish move, Smits opted to call time on his career in October 2009. Though he felt he could have played on longer, he wanted to give whoever came after him as the side's captain and wicketkeeper enough time to find their feet ahead of the 2011 World Cup.
Liam Brickhill

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